1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to a facsimile system, and more particularly, relates to a facsimile system and method for enabling a user to set a time cycle, an appointed time in the time cycle, telephone number of a service station within a facsimile system, and for automatically dialing the appointed telephone number of the service station at the appointed time in the set time cycle to receive service information from the service station and print out the same at the facsimile system.
2. Background Art
Generally, a facsimile system provides a function of automatically receiving a facsimile message in response to an incoming call during a user's absence, so that the user may obtain the received facsimile message upon return. In addition, if the facsimile system has an automatic answering function as disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,287,201 for Calling Receiving Method And Apparatus issued to Soumiya et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,557 for Facsimile Apparatus With Automatic Telephone Answering Function issued to Tanaka, a facsimile module, an attached telephone and a recording device are included for facsimile communication, telephone communication and recording a voice message from a caller. Typically, the facsimile system is connected directly via a telephone line for access to the public switched telephone network. When a remote caller wants to call or send a facsimile message to the host facsimile system, the caller accesses to the facsimile system by dialing its telephone number via a remote telephone or a remote facsimile system. If a caller sends a signal via a telephone when the facsimile system answers in a telephone/facsimile mode, telephone conversation is permitted. If the caller sends a signal via a remote facsimile system when the facsimile system answers in the same telephone/facsimile mode, facsimile communication is permitted. On the other hand, if the caller sends a signal via a telephone when the facsimile system answers in an answering/facsimile mode, an answering message is transmitted to the caller upon signal reception and a voice message from the caller is recorded. If the caller sends a signal via a remote facsimile system when the facsimile system answers in the answering/facsimile mode, facsimile communication is permitted.
A facsimile message recorded in a host facsimile system can also be forwarded to an intended recipient who does not have physical access to his or her host facsimile system but can call his or her host facsimile system from a remote location and then direct the facsimile message recorded in the host facsimile system be transmitted for printout to a fully accessed remote facsimile system. Such facsimile system works like a "mail box" such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,090,049 for Fax Message Recorder And Relay System And Method issued to Chen, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,483,580 for Methods And apparatus For Non-Simultaneous Transmittal And Storage Of Voice Message And Digital Text Or Image issued to Brandman et al. In Chen '049, for example, a separate fax message recorder and relay system operates in conjunction with a host facsimile system to allow an authorized caller to remotely control the location to which a facsimile message is to be forwarded. Generally, a conventional "fax mail" system is used to store an incoming facsimile message in an electronic format for later recall by a system subscriber. In this manner, the intended recipient can, for example, call into the office from a remote location, determine that a facsimile transmittal is available for him or her, and then direct that the text or image stored in the system be transmitted for printout to a remote facsimile machine.
In recent years however, as facsimile equipment is becoming increasingly common both in the workplace as well as in the home office, facsimile technology becomes more desirable as a means to periodically service information such as news, learned journals and the like as well as to efficiently market products and to effectively educate consumers about the products in a less costly manner. Traditional use of a computer database on a host computer to deliver information to a remote user via a facsimile system such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,196,943 for Facsimile Information Distribution Apparatus issued to Hersee et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,532,838 for Method And Apparatus For Dynamically Creating And Transmitting Documents Via Facsimile Equipment issued to Barbari, is cost prohibitive particularly when the business is small or medium size and capital expenditure is limited. While a local facsimile system can be configured to retain information so that customers or users can access a facsimile system of the service office directly for service information, an existing local facsimile system must require that the customers to first request for such service information via a telephone and manually enter a request via an operational panel in response to the service office's prerecorded message, and then wait for reception of such service information for a printout via a remote facsimile system. This requirement, however, is not efficient because much time and efforts are wasted. Moreover, urgent information such as news flashes cannot be timely delivered to the customers if the customers forget to call in the service office.